Wyoming wildlife officials capture, kill unruly grizzly bear

JACKSON, Wyo. (AP) - An unruly grizzly bear that fell for a trap last week in Wyoming was captured and killed by wildlife officials who had their radar on the animal for years.

The adult male bear was first caught in 2015 and was relocated at least three times since then, the Jackson Hole News & Guide reported.

Wyoming Game and Fish Department bear biologist Mike Boyce finally outmaneuvered the bear April 29, when the animal took the bait at a private inholding in northern Grand Teton National Park.

Boyce worked more than 100 days to capture the grizzly over the past three years.

"He said this is by far the most difficult bear he's ever dealt with," Game and Fish spokesman Mark Gocke said. "He caught it in a culvert trap. And he had other instances where the bear had visited his trap and passed on by."

Officials believe the same bear caused multiple problems over the last month including breaking into sheds, digging into garbage and attacking livestock.

"It had been given ample time to live out its life as a wild bear, but it was clear that it wasn't going to break its habits of wanting to go for human foods," Gocke said. "This behavior in this bear had gone on for so long that it left us with no options."

"It just breaks my heart," Jackson Hole resident and wildlife lover Ann Smith said. "It's our fault - people's fault. If people would lock this stuff up, how could he get it?"

Smith added that the community should be doing more to prevent euthanizations, including more regulations on food storage and wildlife safety.

"As we all know, a fed bear is a dead bear," she said.